A group of investors is turning an old industrial building in Newark into the headquarters to technology farming company AeroFarm, the group announced today. A rendering of the Newark headquarters, which the company says will open its first phase during the second half of this year.

NEWARK — The state's largest city will be home to the largest indoor vertical farm in the world, according to an announcement today from an investment group backing the development.

The RBH Group, Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, Prudential Financial Inc., and AeroFarms have partnered with Newark city officials and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority on a $30 million renovation that will turn an old industrial site into a vertical urban farm, the group announced in a release today.

The site - a 69,000 square foot converted steel factory on Rome Street in the Ironbound section of Newark - will serve as the headquarters for AeroFarms, a company that grows leafy greens in indoor, urban facilities. Once completed, the facility will be able to produce about two million pounds of green vegetables and herbs each year, the group said.

Backers of the project say it will bring jobs to Newark, and fresh food to New Jersey. The project is currently under construction, and will partially open in the second half of this year, the group said. Organizers say the project plans to bring 78 jobs to the city by the end of 2015.

"Newark is increasingly becoming a destination city for high-tech and environmentally-friendly commerce, and this $30 million project in the East Ward will bring jobs and prosperity to our city," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

"It will also expand the role of urban farming and locally-produced vegetables in our city. This will provide greater access to healthy and inexpensive food choices for our residents, helping them live healthier lifestyles."

AeroFarms said it is planning to partner with the Ironbound Community Corporation to create a job-training program that targets local residents.

RBH Group CEO Ron Beit said in a statement that the facility will anchor what he envisions to be a "Makers Village" development.

The development will "(create) jobs for local residents and greater access to locally-grown produce for our community," he said in the release. Makers Village "will compete toe-to-toe with the Brooklyn Navy Yard in terms of a superior cost structure and greater transmodal access, bringing 21st century "maker-type" businesses to Newark and the State of New Jersey."

AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg said in a statement that Newark was a natural place to open the company's headquarters, since it has been operating a working farm inside the Philips Academy Charter School for the past four years.

"(We are) happy to build on our deep ties within the Newark community," he said. This project, "allows us to bring our global headquarters and the world's largest indoor vertical farm close to where the consumer is, offering a fresher, more nutritious and delicious product while also creating jobs in the community."